Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dean Wakeham, Founder of Tackship Consulting, located in San Diego, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
TackShip Consulting provides management consulting and executive coaching services for small to medium companies. Our goal is to help businesses and individuals to activate their passions and optimize performance. We also facilitate groups for Christian business leaders to help them keep their faith integrated fully into their lives.
Tell us about yourself
My dad had his own business when I was growing up. I started out my adult life in the Navy, but after separating from Active Duty in 2001, having my own business was always on my mind. In 2012, I was asked to support a project, and the customer was willing to support me by funding three positions on a government contract. Unfortunately, that contract never was let, but by then, I had gone through the process of registering an S-Corp and getting my first business up and running. My motivation is to be my own boss and to have the ability to control my own schedule. I have two kids at home, and I enjoy participating in their lives at sports and school.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment was getting a nearly $5M contract to work on an idea of mine for automating weather forecasting through data science. Now it is creating a community for people to help each other live life more fully.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
I think you need to understand that balance is more about what you are willing to sacrifice for what amount of time. If you are working so much that you never see your kids, or you are out with your kids so much you never make money, then either way, you are sacrificing. I also think the feelings of self-doubt, loneliness, isolation, and being overwhelmed are common.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Finding a community of people you can be real with is key to fighting negative feelings. Setting a good and deliberate culture and a well-thought-out and measurable strategy lays a great foundation. Monitoring your execution with vulnerability-based trust where people are safe to try and potentially mess up is also difficult but rewarding.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://tackship.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tackship.consulting/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwake
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wakeham/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.
